Vending machine



July 5 1927..

C. W. NIXON VENDING MACHINE Original Filed July 2". 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 X/I'Q A iTNEY July 5'.- 1927.

C. W. NIXON VENDING MACHINE 2 Shuts-Sheet Original Filed July 7. 1 .2

IN VEN TOR ATTORNEY hatented July 5, 1927 UNITED STATES CLIFTON W. NIXON, OF 'NEW YORK, N. Y;.

VENDING MACHINE.

Original application filed July 27, 1922, Seria1INo.\571;822'-.. Divided: and this application fi1ed.J'une 5,

1924. Serial N'o.1.718;1'63i The improvements of: the. present; invenmen have been especially designed by me for: use with co1ncontrolledvendingan'dchange-- making machines ofv the type constituting;

the subject matter of the application for patent filed by me on July 2.7,..1922, Serial. No. 577 ,822, of which the present application:

isadivision. While my present improvementswill be herein disclosed,., by. Way of. example as applied to my. coin-controlled. vending and change-making machine, it. will. be recognized that theimprovements are: capable of embodiment in machines of.- other types and'perhapsin. other relations where.

it is desirable to prevent. the playing of thevide improvements of this characten for use.

in connection with a. machine; having a. plu rality of merchandise-holding; stacks or compartments and having two or more coinedeposit slots, whereby automatically; first: to close and thento open each coin-deposit slot,

each time an empty stackor' compartment is.

moved into and out of delivery position, so

that each of thecoin-deposit slots maybe open at all. times to receive coins for the purchase of articles contained in: the: nonexhausted stacks orcompartments.

For a full understanding of: the invention, reference is to be had to the following: description. taken in connection with the. accompanying drawings,whichform. a part of. this application, and in WlliCh' I;

Figure 1 is a: vertical. cross-section ofmy machine showing'the arrangement and construction of its interior mechanisms including in particular a' unit of the slot. closing means.

Fig. 2 is a: partialsectiona'l view, 'shoWing:

at a delivery station the relation. of the lower portion of' a merchandise-holding stack tothe slot closing means.

Fig.2 3-is'a frontv view of. the same. parts,-

but. with; the; merchandise-holding stack ex hausted; ofits-contentsand. the slot closing means actuated: toclose. the coin-deposit slot.

Fig: ,4; is-a partialsectionalzview fromthe rear 0r: from: the interior of: the: machine, showing: the" gate for deposit slot.-v

Fig; 5 is: a facev View of; the machine; with.

parts: broken. away, showing unitsof the slot, closing means in connection with: stack groups; at, the delivery stations In: the accompanying drawings, I. have illustratedmy improvements in connection with. several. features of. my coin-controlled vending and change-making machine which Arranged for reciprocating movement upon. the. bottom: ringplate 9- radially inward of.

each stack; of each group. is a structurally.

independent spring retracted ejector device 14. by which. the articles contained within thestack are ejected at the delivery stations. For: each stack, therefore,v there is an in? dividual ejector device; and the ejector devicesfor' each stack. group are acted upon differentially. atthe different delivery stations of the machinevin order to deliver to the; customer: along with the article purchased the-.correctrchange, if. any change be duehim.

lni-Figaothe delivery stations are indicated-by the observation Windows- 15,16 and 17,. so: spaced. that the merchandise stacks will come. into: radial; agreement therewith under the stepping of. the magazine; Directly above the windows are the coin-deposit s1ots 18, 19 and 20', for the respective. stations these slots differing in size in orderto; accommodatedifferent sizes or denominations 011' coins. Within? the casing (Fig. 1.) incommunication. with the slot 19 isa coin:

closing the coin? deposit chute 21 which deliversti Coin between the co-oper ting he i 23 carried by the respective levers 2 1 and 25. The depos a connection between said 'ercrs so that he second lever 25 may actuated by the thrusting of the first ever accomplished through the exterior utton 26, located at the station correspoi 16 and the coin-deposit e window he movement or the second lever :2" through the elements .27.,

ted in master-pusher 31 icon ejectors at the st window 16. This 1 predetermined n stack group that v he deli very window coin-de posit slots 18 and 20 ii comcontrolling mechanis the ca ing for opera-t hind the respective sttaio 17. Under this a1 and change may be dell; the stack groups at each dows 15, 16 and 17.

For the purpose 0" i' to bring the steel bind the station windows 8 is provided with a some ied teeth 32, oil which there is one 'lor success irely Adapted to engage these is a draw-bar 33, pivoted azine on a stud provid tal irame part 35. The draw-bar is constantly urged forward 1 l against the urge 0t which it the next succeeding means or" a push rod 8 tooth by enteriorly of the casing a push b r- Momezr tarily prior to each engag rent over a teeth 32, the draw-bar engage" contact tor the purpose of hdi i a lo bar 40, thereby freeing tn step movement. All or are described in derai 1 application.

l/l henever all of the merchandis has been ejected from any one of the n'ierchandise stacks it is necessary by positive means at each station to prevent the depositing his coins and playi; ing the machine for inerch empty stack.

- o rementioned l urther, it complish this result with the operation or hausted of their supply o; ends I provide for each n a weight 41 furnished pending pin l2. l

rhac l that it will have slida= for which it is intend in its stack that its topmost article therewithin. The bottom ring-plate 9 at the center of each merchandise stack is provided with an aperture s3 through which the pin will be projected when the weight drops after the ejection from the stack oi" the last article le of merhandise. a

Located upon a cross partition d5 under the bottom ring-plate 9 at each of the delivery stations is a bracket 46 which pivotally suoports a rock-lever or treadle ll. These ch-levcrs are so positioned that their tree ends will be engaged and cepressed the weighted pins when the later drop u "h the apertures The opposite or ard ones of the rock-levers are formed laterally extending arms l?) furnished tending lugs 50 with which are pivotall engaged the lower ends or the connecting rods 51. Each 01 the rods 51 errtends upwardly of the casing and has its upper id pivotally engaged with a lug 52 formed at the free end of a lever 53. As on mplilieC in 4, each lever 53 is made in the term of a hell crank, having an angular neck portion 5% which merges into a forwardly o'n'set closure gate or blade 55, adapted to bar the insertion of a coin into the coinleposit chute through the adjacent coin-depositslot. Thus, for instance, when the rock-lever l? at the station window 16 has been depressed no coin can be 4 1d through slot 19, for the gate 55 will moved into the position shown by the orolren lines in l, completely barring the entrance to the coin-deposit chute 21.

l Ivoted s at 56 to the innere casing flatwise thereof, and its made heavy to constitute a weight so teat nmediately the pin 42 slips off the rock-lever when the magazine is stepped around the gate will swing by gravity into,

open position and the rock-lever will in consequence of this movement be repositioned for the next operation.

According to another feature of my imnts, I secure upon the horizontal 1 ion at each delivery station in juxta pos ion to each rock-lever on the side oil? the magaaines approach tiereto, a riser 5? ha ing an upward inclination 58 leading to ledge 5h. Each riser has its upward inclination facing the direction of the approach oi the downwardly projecting pin and has its ledge partly projecting over the flat port-ion 48 of the adjacent rock-lever, so that as the magazine is stepped around, the pin depending from the empty stack will ride up the riser and onto the ledge and then drop precipitately upon the rock-lever, thereby closing the gate for the coin-deposit slot corresponding to that station just as the empty stack moves intodelivery position at the station. Every time, therefore, an empty stack comes into each delivery station, the corresponding coin-deposit slot will be closed, so that the customer cannot place his money against articles that are not available. Inasmuch as each gate is opened by force of gravity as soon as the projecting pin is drawn off the rock-lever under the movement of the magazine, the coin-deposit slots are always open for the customer to place his money on the stacks that contain a supply of articles.

While I have thus described and illustrated my preferred mechanism for automatically closing and opening the coindeposit slots, it will be understood that changes and alterations in the details of construction may be made therein, to which changes and alterations I am entitled, provided the same are effected within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a coin-deposit slot, a movable magazine provided with a merchandise stack, a weighted-pin arranged in the stack to be projected therefrom when there are no articles in the stack, means for closing the coin-deposit slot including a pivoted lever arranged to receive said weighted-pin, and means for riding said weighted-pin upwardly into position to be received by said pivoted lever.

2. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a coin-deposit slot, a movable magazine provided with a merchandise stack, a movable member in the stack arranged to be projected therefrom when there are no articles in the stack, means for closing the coin-deposit slot including a treadle device arranged to receive the movable member thereon, and a riser device for raising up the movable member and dropping it onto said treadle device as the magazine turns.

3. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a plurality of coin-deposit slots, a movable magazine therein provided with a plurality of merchandise stacks, a gravity controlled member associated with each stack and arranged to protrude therefrom when it drops consequent upon the removal of all the articles from the stack, independently opera-ted means for closing each coindeposit slot including a treadle device arranged to receive and to be operated by the force of the drop of the gravity members, and a riser device positioned in advance of each treadle device for raising each gravity member and dropping it onto the treadle device as the magazine turns, whereby to effect. the closing of each coin-deposit slot independently of the closing of the other of the coin-deposit slots.

4. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a coin-deposit slot, a gate adapted to close said slot, a movable magazine in the casing provided with a-merchandise stack, a weighed-pin associated with the stack and adapted tobe protruded upon the ejection of all the articles from the stack, a treadle device arranged to receive the weighted-pin and to be operated thereby, means for causing the weighted-pin to rise into position to drop upon the treadle device, and an operative connection between said treadle device and said gate.

5. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a coin-deposit slot and a gate adapted to close said slot, said gate being normally held open by gravity, a movable magazine in the casing provided with a merchandise stack, a movable gravity operated member depending from said stack, a treadle device link-connected with said gate and set in position for operation by the' gravitational force thereof, said treadle device being arranged to receive the gravity operated member and to be operated by the force of the fall thereof, and means for causing the gravity operated member to rise to position to fall upon said treadle device.

6. In a vending machine, a casing provided with a plurality of coin-deposit" slots and a gate adapted to close each slot, a magazine rotatably disposed within the easing and provided with a plurality of stacks adapted to hold articles, ejecting stations corresponding in number to the number of gates, a weighted-pin associated with each stack and adapted to be protruded upon the ejection of all the articles from the stack, a treadle device at each ejecting station, link-connected with each corresponding gate and adapted to be operated by the fall of the weighted-pins thereon, and riser means at each ejecting station arranged to cause the weighted pins to rise as the magazine turns so that they can fall upon the treadle devices.

7. In a vending machine, the combination with a casing having a coin-deposit slot and a gate to close said slot, of a magazine rotatably mounted within the casing and constructed with a stack from which articles may be ejected, said stack having an apertured bottom, a movable member in said stack arranged tobe projected through said apertured bottom when there are no articles in said stack, a rock-lever arranged to receive said movable member and to be depressed thereby, means operable by the clepression of said rock-lever for closing said gate, and riser means for causing said movable member to rise so that it can drop upon n said rock-lever.

casing proand a gate may be ejecced, said hirer bottom, a L nn mid stack and Weightee to fall g avi't through said apertured bottom when all. the articles have been ejected o1n the stack, a rockdever to receive said pin and to be depressed thereby,

a riser in advance of said rock-lever and on which said weighted pin Will first rise above and then fall onto the rock-lever on each revolution of the magazine, and means connecting said rock-lever With said gate whereby on each depression of the former the latter W111 be closed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

CLIFTON W. NIXON. 

